Robert Tollast

Robert Tollast

Assistant Foreign Editor


The American University of Beirut Medical Centre is packed with wounded from the pager blasts. Reuters
Hack or sabotage? Theories swirl over pager attack on Hezbollah

Experts say the group suffered serious damage to its communications network but retains significant combat power

September 17, 2024, 6:42 PM
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani. AFP
Al Sudani's Iran-backed allies clash over corruption allegations

Scandals involving government spying, bribery and robbery have led to deeper divisions within Iraq’s ruling coalition

September 16, 2024, 4:26 PM
People inspect a damaged area in the aftermath of what Syrian state media reported was an Israeli strike in Masyaf. Reuters
Masyaf attack: Did Israeli special forces raid Syrian research site?

Iran has denied reports that some of its advisors were captured in an attack on a secretive weapons research centre

September 13, 2024, 12:55 PM
USS Abraham Lincoln, pictured in the Indian Ocean in 2012. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier will remain in the Middle East, but the USS Roosevelt is returning home. Photo: US Navy
US ends naval surge in Middle East amid 'carrier gap' concern

One of two aircraft carriers leaves region, after being deployed as a deterrent against Iranian attacks on Israel

September 12, 2024, 12:07 PM
The US Treasury says Iran Air has a history of transporting goods on behalf of the country's military forces. Getty Images
Latest US and European sanctions pile pressure on Iran's aviation sector

US and several European governments accuse Tehran of using civilian planes to transfer arms to allies

September 11, 2024, 2:06 PM
The border fence between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in Rafah, southern Gaza. EPA
Gaza-Egypt border control dispute could shape the enclave's future

Talks on who will control contested area after war focus on international force despite opposition from Netanyahu

September 07, 2024, 2:00 AM
Explosions on the deck of the Greek-flagged oil tanker MV Sounion. Reuters
US and allies fail to stem Houthis' high pace of Red Sea attacks

The Iran-backed group has stepped up attacks on shipping in the past two weeks

September 05, 2024, 7:13 AM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu points to a map showing the Salah Al Din corridor in southern Gaza, during a news conference in Jerusalem. EPA
Why the narrow corridor on Gaza's southern border is so vital

Return of Israeli forces to garrisons in Salah Al Din corridor would restore area to pre-2005 military occupation

September 03, 2024, 12:57 PM
Iranian security forces during the funeral ceremony for Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard, in Tehran. EPA
What the Haniyeh killing reveals about Iran's internal divisions

Iran has lost senior generals and nuclear scientists in more than a decade of suspected Israeli assassinations

August 11, 2024, 8:26 AM
A F-18 jet lands on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during military exercises about 100 miles south of Oahu, Hawaii, in July. Reuters
US military straining amid crises in Middle East, Europe and Asia

Supporting Ukraine, ramped up naval operations to counter China and the risk of a wider Middle East war are testing American capabilities

August 09, 2024, 6:00 AM
Mourners take part in a funeral ceremony for late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. AFP
Haniyeh killing shows Israel's high-risk assassination strategy

Experts suggest Israel has network of informants for high-profile assassinations but the strategy could have limited long-term impact

August 01, 2024, 1:14 PM
Smoke from a bomb blast during an Israeli air strike on Ain Jalut towers in Nuseirat, central Gaza. Bloomberg
Israel's Gaza bombardment 'among deadliest for civilians' in modern warfare

Investigation by Airwars, an independent conflict monitor, lays bare intensity of bombing campaign

July 25, 2024, 12:40 PM
The Dark Eagle hypersonic missile is the US military’s latest attempt to field a weapon that can travel at five times the speed of sound - Mach 5 - or faster.
US presses on with Dark Eagle hypersonic missile testing

Despite massive engineering challenges, the US has spent decades working on hypersonic missiles that fly five times faster than the speed of sound

July 25, 2024, 9:56 AM
Hodeidah, Yemen, on Saturday, July 20, 2024. The Israeli army says it struck the Houthi rebels in western Yemen following a drone attack by the group in Tel Aviv.  AP
Israel and Houthis clash over 1,800km distance with drones, missiles and air strikes

Israel's air strike against Hodeidah in Yemen would have posed a significant challenge, at the limit's of their jets' operational range

July 21, 2024, 1:15 PM
Smoke rises from the site of Israeli air strikes in the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen in this handout photo released July 20, 2024. Reuters
Israel and Yemen braced for war after escalation of hostilities

Sirens sounded in the Red Sea port of Eilat on Sunday morning as a Houthi missile was shot down

July 21, 2024, 6:12 AM